Amalgam carrier condenser attachment



July 19, 1949. F ARENA 2,476,793

AMALGAM CARRIER CONDENSER ATTACHMENT Filed Dec. s, 1947 INVENTOR Francis Jf/Wena ORNEYS 'of amalgams.

Patented July 19, 1949 AMALGAM CARRIER CONDENSER ATTACHMENT Francis J. Arena, Bronx, N.-Y.

Application December 3, 1347, Serial No. 789,433

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a condenser attach- -ment adapted for application to conventional amalgam carriers.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a condenser attachment which may be mounted on a conventional amalgam carrier to enable said carrier to function as a condenser or plugger in addition to functioning as a carrier Excessive time consumed While packing a test specimen or dental cavity will be detrimental to best physical properties of the amalgam, and it is therefore quite inconvenient to have to substitute a conventional condenser or plugger for the amalgam carrier to do the work of condensing the amalgam in the tooth. The

present invention renders it possible to use the amalgam carrier itself as the condenser, thereby saving time between amalgam depositing and condensing operations, and affords more time for the assistant to express more mercury each time from the amalgam.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a condensing attachment for use in connection with amalgam carriers, in which the condensing instrument or plugger is interchangeable to enable the same tool to be used with condensers of different size and contours.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are shown on the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a side view of a conventional amalgam carrier in which the plunger button is located at one end thereof, showing the condenser attachment mounted at the opposite end thereof, said attachment being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 of a second type of amalgam carrier, the condenser attachment being shown mounted at that end of the barrel which corresponds'to the plunger be seen that a conventional amalgam carrier I is shown having a barrel H, a plunger I2 and a plunger button [3. It will be noted that the barrel H is connected to a goose neck type of extension piece l5 which carries the operative end of plunger 12. This goose neck enables the instrument to reach what would otherwise be inaccessible parts of the mouth and more particularly some of the molars. At the operative end of goose neck I5 is a nozzle-shaped attach- 'strument as a whole.

ment l6 which is'screwed to the goose neck I! and which cooperates-' with plunger l2 in collectv ing the amalgam and depositing it in the cavity. This" nozzle-shapedpiece i6 is detachable from the goose neck l5, and it may be removed for cleaning or other purposes. It has a knurled portion I! to facilitate removal thereof and reengagement thereof with the goose neck l5.

Thus far the instrument described is conventional in every respect.

I The condenser attachment 20 is shown in section in Fig. 1. It will be apparent from said Fig. 1 that this attachment is adapted to fit on to the goose neck l5. It comprises a small fitting which has a crylindrical hole formed therein, the cross-sectional dimensions of the hole corresponding to the cross-sectional dimensions of that part of the goose neck l5 which it is shown to engage in Fig. 1. Attachment 20 is slidably mounted on goose neck l5 so that it may be attached thereto and removed therefrom at will.

The end 2! of said attachment 2Uengages the inside curve of goose neck [5 to prevent said attachment 20 from rotating on said goose neck. The nozzle-like member 16 engages the forward end of said attachment 20 and prevents axial 'mov'ement thereof in'a forward direction. The

tightly in place thereon as though. it were an integral part of gooseneck i5. and of the in- The attachmentfzll is also provided with a tapered hole 25 which is,substantially parallel to the hole which accommodates the goose neck l5. Removably mounted in said tapered hole 25 is a condenser or plugger 26. It will be noted .inFig. 1 that this plugger is'substantially L- shaped, its top end being provided with a hammer or tamping head which in v every respect is conventional. Its ,opposite end is tapered slightly to conform to the, taper of hole 25 so that when .said end is slipped into, said tapered hole a snug fit is therein provided. Neither the tapered hole nor the tapered end of condenser 26 is circular in cross-section, so that swivel or pivotal movement of said condenser with respect to said tapered hole 25-is. prevented. Reference to Fig. 1 will disclose the fact that the operative end -of the head of condenser 26 lies substantially on the longitudinal axis of barrel ll of the amalgam carrier.

32 is provided which has a goose neck-shaped member, one end of which may be removably; mounted in hole 3| of amalgam carrier 39. The

opposite end of said adapter 32 corresponds to that portion of goose neck IS on which attach-'- ment 29 is shown to be mounted in Fig. 1. Hence, said attachment may also be mounted on said adapter and this is shown in Fig. 2. The'end 2i of said condenser attachment engages the inside :curve'of adapter 32 and the attachment is thereby prevented from turning on said adapter. Attachment 2:: need not bedetachably mounted .-on adapter 32, although it may be so mounted, if desired. In view of the .fact that adapter 32 is itself removably-mounted in hole 3| of amalgam carrier 30, the entire unit. or assembly, that is,

the adapter 32 together with the attachment 2c =may be attached to. amalgam carrier r, de-

tached therefrom at will. On the other hand, if

it is desiredto use said attachment 20 in connection with both types of amalgam carrier, it

should preferably be detachably mounted. on adapter 32.

The second embodiment of this invention as;

applied primarily to an amalgam carrier 30 such as is shown in Fig. 2, is disclosed in Fig. 3. Here the adapter 32 is omitted and a different type of condenser attachment 35 is employed. This attachment is a cap shaped affair which is adapted to slip over the end of the barrel of amalgam carrier 30. It has a downwardly extending axially aligned projection 36 which is adapted to fit into the hole 3| of the barrel of amalgam carrier 30.

In other words, an annular groove is formed in attachment 35 which accommodates the annular end of the barrel of amalgam carrier 30 and the centrally extending projection of attachment 35 extends into the hole 3| of said barrel. The projection 36 engages the inner wall of the barrel, and the cap-shaped portion of attachment 35 en- 'gages its outer wall. In this manner a tight fit is provided between the attachment 35 and the amalgam carrier 30. It must be remembered,

however, that the attachment 35 should prefer-v ably be removable with respect to the amalgam carrier, so that it may be mounted on or removed from a standard amalgam carrier of the type shown in Fig. 2.

Attachment 39 has a tapered hole 31 formed therein which corresponds to the tapered hole 25 of attachment 2!). It is a flattened wedge shaped type of hole which accommodates condenser 38 in'precisely the same manner as does the corresponding hole 25 in attachment 2!! accommo- .forms of this invention, and it will be clearly understood that the invention may take other forms equally as well. The precise shape of the condenser attachment is not critical except that it should be adapted for mounting on a conventional amalgam carrier. The precise shape of the condenser proper is not critical, except that when it is mounted by means of the condenser attachment on the amalgam carrier, its position and shape relative to the amalgam carrier which now becomes its handleshould in all respects be conventional. Although the shank of the condenser is shown in the drawing to be of wedge shape, it may assume other shapes to prevent the condenser from rotating in its holder which, inthe invention under discussion, is the condenser attachment. The shank may be provided with any shape other than a cross-sectional circular shape for this very purpose, The head of the condenser may be shaped differently from the shape shown in the drawing, and it may be made larger or smaller. Here, too, the conventions and standards of the profession should govem. The material of which the condenser holder or attachment should be made is not critical and the same materialwhich is now used inthe making of condensers may be used in this connection equally as well.

I claim: l. A condenser attachment for an amalgam carrier, said. attachment comprising a condenser holder and a condenser removably mounted on said holder, said holder having a sleeve portion formed therein which slips overone of the ends of the amalgam carrier, means being provided to prevent rotation of said holder on said amalgam carrier, said condenser comprising an L-shaped member having a condensing head formed at one end thereof and a wedge-shaped portion formed at the opposite end thereof, said condenser holder being provided with a wedge-shaped hole formed therein which accommodates said wedge-shaped end of the condenser, the operative head of said condenser being positioned on a line which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the amalgam carrier.

2. In a device of the class described, an amalgam carrier having a goose neck end, a condenser attachment for said carrier comprising a condenser holder which is removably mountable on said goose neck end, said holder being provided with a projection which engages the inner curve of said goose neck end to prevent rotary movement of said attachment on said goose neck end, a nozzle-shaped tip to be screwed to the operative end of. said amalgam carrier for engagement with the end of said condenser attachment to hold said attachment in place on the goose neck portion of the amalgam carrier, said attachment including a condenser whichis removably mounted thereon and which is bent to position its operative end on a line coinciding with the longitudinal axis .of the amalgam carrier.

FRANCIS J. ARENA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

